


Following the Rules

by Esselle



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Background Konno Yuuki | Yuuki/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna, Fluff and Humor, Kindergarten Teacher Eugeo, M/M, Past Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna, Single Parent Kirito
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23234938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esselle/pseuds/Esselle
Summary: "Please tell me you are not still freaking out about being trapped alone in a room with the hot dad of one of your students," Alice says as she waltzes by, carrying an assorted variety of brightly colored plastic dishware. Eugeo nearly jumps out of his skin."Can you not say that so loudly?" he hisses at her.She casts him a distinctly unimpressed look. "That wasn't a denial."--It's parent-teacher conference day at the kindergarten where Eugeo teaches, and the butterflies in his stomach won't calm down.
Relationships: Eugeo/Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito
Comments: 20
Kudos: 244
Collections: YujiKiriweek2020





	Following the Rules

**Author's Note:**

> Very belatedly, day 2 of [YujiKiri fanweek](https://twitter.com/yujikirifanwee1)! Prompt: different worlds/flowers
> 
> (Centoria isn't evil here beyond standard Disgustingly Rich Private School levels of stuffiness, so don't worry, everyone's fine)

It's nearly the end of the school day, and even though his kindergarten class is already tidying up and getting ready to go home, Eugeo's nerves are practically hotwired with anxiety.

Centoria Academy, spanning from kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade, is the top private prep school in the country, which generally means there's no shortage of things to be anxious about. There's the meticulous lesson plans he crafts from week to week that have to be approved ahead of time by the principal; there's the wardrobe of tailored suits he has to wear as an instructor that his five year old students certainly do not care about and which nearly put him in debt before the job had even started (thank the heavens that Alice had come through to help him out with that one); and then there are the children themselves, all of them the progeny of the mega-rich, the mega-influential, and often both at once, whose impressionable minds he is in charge of molding day in and day out. 

Normally, he takes all of this in stride—because despite the stress, he loves his job and his kids and coming to work every day just to put smiles on their faces (often, they put the smile right back on his). 

But that is saying nothing of dealing with their parents. And today… today is parent-teacher conference day. And not _only_ that, but…

"Please tell me you are not still freaking out about being trapped alone in a room with the hot dad of one of your students," Alice says as she waltzes by, carrying an assorted variety of brightly colored plastic dishware. Eugeo nearly jumps out of his skin.

"Can you not say that so loudly?" he hisses at her. 

She casts him a distinctly unimpressed look. "That wasn't a denial." 

"Of course I'm not freaking out about that!" he says. He fiddles with the cuffs of his jacket sleeves. "I wouldn't do that, it would be—very unprofessional, and besides, I know there's no way I even have a chance, he's completely uninterested, so why would I—"

Alice groans. "Do you hear yourself?" 

"Unfortunately," Eugeo sighs. He watches his kids put their toys back into the proper boxes with a minimum amount of chaos—he'll have to do some further sorting, but they're doing their best and that's all he can ask for. 

One of them in particular leads the others in the effort. Yui is unusually tiny, even for her age, but it seems like her brain is unusually large to compensate. She is also clearly and unabashedly fond of Eugeo, which makes him feel even worse about his _horrible stupid immature_ crush on her _father._

"Listen," Alice says, "I'm not asking you to do anything _very unprofessional_ tonight, obviously. But… just pay attention to the way things go? You're not as much of a longshot as you keep writing yourself off to be." 

"Alice… I appreciate the encouragement, I really do." Eugeo smiles at her. "But we're from… completely different worlds. I don't know what I have that he could possibly see in me." 

"Yeah, that's kinda your biggest problem with everything," she sighs. 

Eugeo blinks at her. "What does that mean?" 

Alice thumps her knuckles against his forehead. "It means that out of everyone, you're always the last to see your worth." 

Before he gets a chance to retort, he has to go attend to the kids as their caretakers come to pick them up from school. The group is formidable—butlers, bodyguards, entire high-powered entourages acting as nanny, the help of the elite. 

But the only person who comes for Yui is her great aunt Midori, who she runs towards with a happy shout. 

"Seems like you had a fun day!" Midori says. "Were you good for your teacher?" 

"She was an angel, as always," Eugeo reassures her as he joins them. 

"Papa says it's okay to break the rules sometimes," Yui says wisely. "Especially if it's to help other people."

Midori taps the tip of her little nose. "Being good and following the rules are two different things." 

"He always says that, too!" 

Midori laughs. "I know he does. Speaking of which," she says, to Eugeo, "I hope _he_ behaves tonight during your discussion. I made him promise to be on time." 

Eugeo flushes. "I, um, I appreciate it! I-it's alright if he's not, though, I know he's a very busy person—"

"Not too busy to see you," Midori says. "Hang in there tonight, Eugeo—I know these rich folk can be a damn pain." 

He can't help but laugh at that. "Thank you, ma'am." 

Five o'clock rolls around, and the conferences start, and Eugeo does hang in there. Some parents don't show up. Others _are_ late, or want to change times, or have an assistant call last minute to ask if the meeting can be switched to a phone call. He takes it all in stride—because he's doing it for the kids, really, not their parents, although he tries his best to make the less interested ones _be_ interested. The hardest part to deal with isn't the helicopter parents who care too much; it's the ones who care too little. He's been through that—he knows what it's like. At least he didn't have to be the heir to a political empire or some such thing on top of it. He won't let the kids feel like he doesn't care, either. 

But he gets through it, and he's so distracted that he isn't even nervous when eight o'clock rolls around, and his last appointment for the day rolls in and he remembers _oh god it's Yui's hot dad, the one he's been freaking out about being trapped alone in a room with._

"Kazuto!" he yelps, and then winces. "I mean—sorry, Mr. Kirigaya—"

Yui's dad grins at him. "Seriously, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Kirito? Everyone else does."

"I… know…" Eugeo says, still pained. "Everyone else" actually just means Kirito's family, his ex-wife, and his closest friends. Eugeo distinctly does not fall into any of those categories, having only met Kirito a few months ago, and being nothing more than his daughter's kindergarten teacher. 

In contrast to Eugeo's suit and tie (light grey), Kirito is dressed all casual and in all black, as usual. Black jeans, black shirt, black leather jacket. His black motorcycle helmet is tucked under his arm, because despite being rich enough to own a literal fleet of cars and drivers, he prefers riding on his own. 

Kirigaya Kazuto is the young pioneer of the world's most successful virtual reality headset. He started his own company at the age of eighteen, nine years ago, with the mission of making VR safe and accessible for people across the globe, and he has more than achieved his goal. He's a self-made _billionaire,_ he's got a decade of street smarts behind that impish grin, he's pretty enough to be a model in his spare time (his photoshoots from magazines ranging from tech to lifestyle prove it), and beyond all that—he seems like a genuinely _good_ person, not just in all his public efforts, but privately, too. Eugeo can tell from getting to know him the past few months, and from getting to know Yui. 

The upper elite hadn't wanted the status quo to shift, and they had tried to cut Kirito off at every turn. He really did have to break a _lot_ of rules to get where he is: an average, socially awkward boy with no parents rising to the head of a literal empire. Principal Quinella is not fond of him. Eugeo has heard from Alice, who heard from Vice Principal Bercouli, that she thinks he's an upstart.

He's a bad boy, and he's so far out of Eugeo's league. Alice is crazy. 

"Eugeo?" Kirito asks, head tilted inquisitively. "Are you alright?" 

Eugeo shakes himself out of his stupor. "Yes!" Come on, he can handle this conference just like all the others—even if Kirito looks insanely good in that black v-neck… _Focus_. "Sorry—are we waiting on…?"

"No, Asuna can't make it," Kirito says, shaking his head. "She told me to tell you she's sorry, by the way! But Yuuki's got a tournament final happening, and the time zones are all over the place—"

"It's no problem!" Eugeo says quickly. He knows Asuna would be there if she could. He's met her—Kirito and his ex-wife still live together for the most part, although Asuna is constantly traveling. Her wife (and the reason she and Kirito amicably split around three years back) is a top pro-gamer who uses a wheelchair. Asuna is rarely not by her side, both as her moral support and her manager. 

_"She's not the one that 'got away',"_ Kirito has said in interviews before. _"Why would I ever want to hold her back in the first place?"_

The three of them and Yui make up one of the happiest families Eugeo knows. Unfortunately, however, it means Kirito is now miraculously very single—leaving nothing to stand in the way of Eugeo's ridiculous pining. He's got to get over this.

"Should we, um… get started?" he asks. 

Kirito nods with enthusiasm, as he pulls up a seat on the other side of Eugeo's desk. "Please! How's she doing?" 

Yui is doing spectacularly. She's every bit as smart _and_ selfless as her parents, the first one to offer assistance to classmates and teachers alike. She's also already at an advanced level in every subject across the board. And, regardless of her father's famous words about rule-breaking, she's a role model to the rest of the kids, precocious but never causing trouble for Eugeo. 

"In short… she's exceptional. But I'm sure you're well aware of that fact," Eugeo says. 

"Yeah, I am," Kirito says with a proud grin. "Doesn't make it any less great to hear. Especially when she enjoys your class so much. Makes me wish I could join you guys."

"You're welcome anytime," Eugeo says, without thinking. Kirito's mouth falls open slightly, right before he starts laughing. Eugeo flounders, cheeks burning. "I j-just mean—if you wanted to sit in and observe one day, I wouldn't mind—I'd be happy to have you! I mean, the kids would, I'm sure! But I, also, would—"

"Sorry, sorry," Kirito says to temper his rambling, "I'm not laughing at you!"

"You are," Eugeo says morosely.

Kirito grins. "Only because you're cute when you get flustered, Eugeo." 

"H-huh?" Eugeo sputters. 

Kirito puts a finger to his lips, almost like the fact he just called Eugeo _cute_ is meant to be their little secret. "Sorry," he says again. Eugeo wants to tell him _don't be,_ but he is incapable of being that smooth; he settles for swallowing hard, and continuing to blush like an embarrassed schoolboy. "I don't want to make light of it! She never stops talking about you at home, and you're a big part of the reason she likes coming to school so much. I… I was honestly pretty nervous about enrolling her at Centoria. So I can't really thank you enough for what you've done so far."

"What I've done?" Eugeo asks. "I haven't done anything besides… nurture all the good things she gets from you, Kirito."

Somehow, Kirito looks surprised. "From me?" 

"Yes!" Eugeo says. "Her drive to learn new things… her perceptiveness—"

"I can assure you that one doesn't come from me," Kirito says dryly.

"It _does,_ though," Eugeo insists. "I can tell that you pay a lot of attention to things, it's just that you pick what's important to you. But the things that are important to you… they help others, and Yui's the same way. She wants to learn as much as she can because the more she knows, the more she can be like her dad. The more she can help people…"

Too late, he realizes how intently he's staring into Kirito's eyes, how softly he's speaking, how far he's leaned forward, his hand nearly reaching for Kirito's across the table to try and convey what he means. He sits back in a hurry, clearing his throat. 

"Sorry," he says, now his turn to apologize. "I don't mean to lecture! I guess I'm just used to it…"

"That wasn't a lecture," Kirito says. He's still staring at Eugeo. "Thank you."

"It's nothing, I shouldn't have—"

"Eugeo," Kirito murmurs. "I'm sure you know that I'm—well, orphan doesn't seem like the right word, I guess… I've got my aunt and uncle and cousin and I owe them everything, but—" He pauses, taking a deep breath. "But I still wondered, you know?"

"About… what?" Eugeo asks.

Kirito shoots him a tiny smile. "If I'd be able to do any of this right at all."

"You mean parenting?" Eugeo shakes his head. "You're an _amazing_ father. You have to realize that." 

That small smile turns into a _big_ one, genuine and bright enough to warm Eugeo head to toe. But Kirito doesn't thank him again. Instead he says, "Alright—but only if you agree that you're an amazing teacher, too."

Eugeo puts a hand over his face. "Kirito, if you're _trying_ to make me blush—"

"I'm not, although I will admit it's a bonus," Kirito tells him, entirely too smug. "It's been a long day, right? Maybe I'm just trying to make you smile."

This man is going to be the _death_ of Eugeo. 

"It has been quite the day," he says. "So thank you, as well."

"Anytime!" Kirito says. "Actually, I did bring something for you, just as a token of our appreciation…" He roots around in his jacket pocket for something while Eugeo watches, stunned.

"You—you shouldn't have! I'm just doing my job—"

"Ah!" Kirito says as he unearths it. "Here!" 

He sets something down on the desk and pushes it gently towards Eugeo. Eugeo looks down at the item, feeling slightly light-headed.

It's a small, delicately carved, crystalline rose. It gleams even under the modest lights of his classroom, translucent and shimmering blue, almost as though someone gave water solid form. Ice, he thinks faintly, from somewhere far outside himself. That'd just be ice, genius.

"Is that… crystal?" he asks. Instantly, he wants to kick himself. The question feels overly materialistic—but he's honestly sort of terrified that it _is._

"No, no," Kirito says, waving his hand.

Eugeo exhales slowly in relief. The mere thought that someone might spend so much on him, for no reason at all, is—

"It's a blue diamond!" Kirito says cheerfully. "I found it at an auction I attended." 

Eugeo puts his head down on his desk in despair. "This is what I tried to tell Alice."

"What's that?" Kirito asks. He sounds concerned.

"You're not just from another world… you're from another galaxy…"

"What are you talking about?" 

"You _can't_ give me this!" Eugeo bursts out, bolting upright. This time he does grab Kirito's hands, both of them, in earnestness. He has to make Kirito understand that he might be _insane._

"I thought people give teachers gifts all the time." Kirito asks, confused. "Is it against school rules?"

"No—maybe?! I don't even know, but—" Eugeo squeezes his hands. "Kirito, I don't _deserve_ this. I don't… deserve gifts from you, you barely even know me—and I like Yui a lot, so you don't have to try and—"

"It's not to make you like my kid!" Kirito says. He has the audacity to look shocked. "And you _do_ deserve it, but that's not why I wanted to give it to you."

"Then _why?"_ Eugeo asks desperately. 

"Um…" Kirito's eyes flit around the room, and for a moment, Eugeo could almost swear that _he's_ the one who's nervous. "Because… I'm trying to make you… like… me?"

They both stare at each other.

Eugeo says, "What?" 

"What?" Kirito repeats.

"You—" 

"Okay," Kirito says, reaching for the rose, "this was probably a really bad—"

"I _already_ like you!" Eugeo nearly shouts, lunging forward to cup his hands over the rose protectively. It's his, he's not giving it back, Kirito got it _for him._

"I—I mean, I kind of know that, but I _really_ mean…" Kirito rests a hand at the back of his neck awkwardly, once again unable to meet Eugeo's eyes. "I mean, ah… like, more than just as the dad of one of your students—"

Is this really happening? Eugeo is probably dreaming, so he might as well go for it, right?

"I do like you more than just as the dad of one of my students," he says. "I like you as a person."

Kirito holds up a single finger and then curls it back down, disheartened. "That's also not what I—"

"I _know,_ " Eugeo huffs. 

Slowly, he draws the rose back toward himself and picks it up, cupped in both hands. It's really, really beautiful. He wants to say it's too beautiful for him. He can't help but _feel_ like he doesn't deserve it, just like he feels like there's no way Kirito would ever look at him twice. A boring, too-nice kindergarten teacher who hasn't made any kind of mark on the world.

Then he thinks about all the times he's seen Kirito with his aunt and cousin and Asuna and Yui, the way he looks at his daughter when she puts her little hand in his, the way his eyes light up when she sees him, yells "Papa!" and runs to be lifted up, wrinkled school uniform be damned. 

Maybe some people's families mean more to them than the entire world. Maybe Eugeo wanting the same things for Yui, for all those kids—creativity, knowledge, growth—means more to Kirito than he realized. Maybe that's how he's leaving his mark.

"I said it's a token of _our_ appreciation—and we _do_ appreciate you, really!" Kirito says, still hesitant. "But if I'm being honest… I kind of just wanted you to have something that would make you think of me."

"Most people just give the teacher an apple," Eugeo says with a shaky laugh.

Kirito shrugs. "I'm not most people."

"No," Eugeo agrees. "You certainly aren't."

"So, um… maybe coffee sometime? Or… dinner?" Kirito backtracks on that one quickly at the look on Eugeo's face, waving his hands. "But coffee is great! If you actually do want to—"

"Yes!" Eugeo says. "Either. Both. Um…" The happiness tugs at the corners of his mouth, too much for him to stop it.

"I _did_ get you to smile," Kirito says, then: "You're really okay with it?" He drops his voice to a loud whisper. "I know the principal doesn't like me much. And I guess I'm not sure we _wouldn't_ be breaking any rules." 

"You know what?" Eugeo laughs. "Who cares? I've heard that being good and following the rules are two very different things."

The expression on Kirito's face at hearing those words is possibly more priceless than the blue rose.

**Author's Note:**

> I have [more YujiKiri stories here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esselle/pseuds/Esselle/works?fandom_id=28118457)! Or if you're wondering which of my stories to read next, you can **[check out my fic guide on Carrd!](https://esselle.carrd.co/)**
> 
> I'm on Twitter at [@Esselle_hq](https://twitter.com/Esselle_hq) (sometimes nsfw)! SAO twitter [@ Esselle_SAO](https://twitter.com/Esselle_SAO)! I also have a [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/Esselle_hq)!


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